Words
by Land of Parchment and Ink
Summary: You never had the chance to say what you wanted to tell him. Now, – after thirteen long years – the opportunity to do so finally presented itself to you.


You knew deep in your heart that you should be the one to defeat him with the powers selflessly given to you, but your body was already bruised and battered in more ways than one and your stamina was almost depleted. And, being a highly-skilled doctor you are, you knew when not to push yourself further lest you brought further harm to your injured self.

You put your faith in that straw-hatted ally of yours, praying to any god who might listen for him to take down the demon who had taken from you the person who was – and would always be – most precious to you.

The battle waged on, but your ally suddenly reached his limit. With much effort, you used what little strength you had left and told the announcer from the coliseum that you'd _take it from here_.

The rubbery teenager needed time to regain the Haki he had used. With your alliance still in effect and your goal to take down the murderer you loathed the most, you helped the straw-hatted teen in any way you could.

(Time was of the essence, and if it was what your ally needed, you would give it to him. Anything, just to bring that demon down from his high horse.)

+.+

You could not believe it, but the fact remained that the former Celestial Dragon now lay unconscious among the rubble, body beaten in a manner you never thought you'd see. The pair of sunglasses he almost always wore was broken beyond repair, and now you gazed upon the face that looked almost like his brother's. You felt a twinge of pain at the sight of that visage, remembering a face you would only see in your memories.

They were almost so alike and yet so utterly _different_ that the pain in your chest transformed into elation at that fact.

The face you were looking at now was cruel, filled with hatred for the world that tortured him for who he was. _His_ face, on the other hand, showed nothing but compassion and kindness behind the garish triangles under his right eye and the painted smile.

A ghost of a smile appeared on your lips and you left what remained of the battlefield with your allies – you couldn't exactly call them your friends; you would be once again enemies fighting to reach a common goal – to flee from the grasping hands of the Marines.

+.+

You woke up that night to find the young man from the Revolutionary Army had already departed and your allies slumbering in contentment.

Quietly, as was your wont, you slowly shifted out of the blanket haphazardly thrown over your sleeping form earlier and got up on your feet. You headed for the door and closed it as you stepped out into the night, the cool, gentle breeze hitting you. Grey eyes swept the sunflower field in front of you and you let out a breath, the vibrant color of the petals reminding you of shaggy locks of the same shade.

Your footsteps made no sound to betray your wandering form. A dozen sunflowers found their way on your tattooed hands and, thoughtlessly, you nimbly wove them into a crown just as he had once showed you.

(Your work was impeccable to say the least, whereas his had been clumsily made.)

" _Once upon a time, there was an angel who was tasked to protect the race of Men from a powerful demon. He was focused on his mission alone, but everything changed the moment he set eyes upon a broken boy with an equally broken heart. When he found out what the boy had been through, he started to lose sight of the mission he was given and instead followed the child wherever the latter went. When the ailing, broken boy appeared to be swayed by the demon's evil words, the angel sprang into action and did what he could to save him."_

You found an open spot on the field and, with a tired yet satisfied sigh, let your eyes take in the sight of a million twinkling stars.

" _And so, the angel took the form of a mortal man and travelled far and wide to find a cure for the ailing child he had taken rather forcefully from the demon's poisonous grasp."_

You smiled at the memory of a made-up story you had once been told, remembering how rudely you had scoffed at it when you once thought that it was a part of his plan to get you to forget your own hatred of the world that had done nothing but ostracize you for your strange illness. But after all you had been through, all the people you'd lost, and after he had been brutally taken from you just as when you were beginning to show him your gratitude and trust, you came to understand what he had been trying to imply with a story as childish as such.

"… _and the angel threw his faith away, letting go of what he had been told to do all for the sake of the broken boy who unknowingly taught him how to be human…"_

At the sound of gunshots and the _magic_ he had placed upon you fading with his life, you thought there were no happy endings in a world so cruel. But after the events that happened this day…

" _Almost at the end of their journey, and the boy nearing his death, the angel realized that he himself had the cure they had been looking for all along. With a determination he never thought he had, he sent a silent apology to his Creator and gave up his immortality for the boy he had come to love._

" _The boy woke up soon after to find the angel lying next to him, the other's wings slowly turning to ash. He found out that the angel gave up everything he had to save him and, in fear of losing the one who rescued him, he prayed to the Creator to spare the selfless celestial being. Halfway through the boy's ardent prayer, the angel's body burst to flames, stripping him of what he had once been and giving him mortal life long enough to spend with the fully healed boy._

" _The Creator granted them both mercy and love, and the angel now turned into a mortal and the boy lived as father and son, and they lived happily ever after."_

The story's ending was quite different from what you had right now but with the demon's fall, it was more than enough for you.

Cora-san had been finally avenged, and for the first time in your life, you were finally free–

–but not until you told him all the things you'd been meaning to say that day when he was taken from you.

You never had the chance to say what you wanted to tell him. Now, – after thirteen long years – the opportunity to do so finally presented itself to you.

Gently, almost reverently, you held the flower crown close to your bandaged chest. Your gaze went back up to the heavens and you opened your mouth to speak the words you'd been keeping locked in your heart since the day he died.

"There are so many things I'd like to tell you, you clumsy dork. There were things I'd said that you never really heard because you silenced me; things that you should've heard before you died. You passed away without hearing me admit that I knew you were a Marine–" Your voice slightly wavered, but you steeled yourself and continued "–and that I never hated you for it – for lying to me.

"I want to take this chance to properly thank you for all you've ever done for me, Cora-san. Thank you for dragging me on a wild race against time to look for a cure for my disease. Even if I had no hope for myself back then, you still stayed positive for me and showed me the kind of hope that simply blinded me with its radiance. Thank you for doing that, Cora-san – for taking me out of the darkness by being my light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for showing me the kindness I didn't know I had been craving since the fall of Flevance. Thank you for being honest with me until the end.

"I'm sorry for that time when I had stabbed you. I know that you'd already forgiven me for that knowing how much of a kind person you are, but I still want to say it and apologize out loud. Also, I'm sorry for leaving you alone in Minion Island. That's what you wanted, but I hadn't been able to forgive myself for simply obeying you. You probably thought that I hated you for lying to me about yourself, and I am certain that your last thoughts while facing off with Doflamingo must be that I'd easily forget you. I am truly sorry for doing that to you and for possibly making you think such thoughts, Cora-san.

"How could I forget the man who saved my life, Cora-san? The man who was ready to make not only his brother an enemy, but also the world, all for the sake of a dying brat? You gave up everything you had for me, and right now, wherever you might be, I'm guessing that you've already known that I've done the same for you. And I have no regrets, just like I know you had been.

"Doflamingo is finally defeated, just like what you'd worked for. You died by his hands, besmirching your duty as his younger brother who wanted to stop his madness. You were too kind to pull the trigger, so I did it for you. Know that I will never forget you, even after all these. I owe you my life, and for that I am forever grateful."

You took a deep breath and lifted the flower crown above your head using your good hand. You could feel something warm and wet in your eyes, but you ignored them in favor of speaking to a man you longed to see again even for the last time. He had taken a path you could not follow, but you hoped that the wind would carry your words to where he might be.

"But, all I've previously said aside, what I'm really trying to say is…"

The flower crown slipped through your loose hold, buffeted heavenwards by the cold wind.

He had told you three words, three precious words you never thought you'd hear from another person aside from your beloved family. And when you heard him say it, you knew you had gained a father you can call your own, flesh and blood connection aside.

A smile made its way on your face, a smile so full of gratitude. It was so bright and wide that your face actually hurt because of it. It was nothing compared to the smile he always gave you, that much you were certain, but you knew that he would appreciate it nonetheless because it came from your heart.

" _Hey, Law…"_

Thick, pearly tears slid down your tanned cheeks. They were not the tears of sadness you had shed for him the day he died and after – rather, they were shed out of fulfillment and, most especially, eternal gratitude.

"…I love you too, Cora-san!"

.

.

.

.

 _And somewhere, in a world far more beautiful and peaceful than the one you were currently living in, an angel wearing a flower crown made from sunflowers – perfectly crafted by fingers bearing the word DEATH – smiled fondly and wholeheartedly down at you._

* * *

 _There're only sunflowers in the field, and guess what? The sunflower symbolize things like faith, magic, (God's) love, and healing, which fit Law and Cora-san. For me, anyway (and that's just me talking)._

 _(Listen to I Found by Amber Run. That song just... fits Law and Cora-san... *sniffles*)_

 _Law kept ranting on my head, and this demanded to be written. I'm sorry if Law seemed too OOC in here. He needed to say something after Doflamingo's defeat, so I could only assume- Ugh, fine. You can kill me now, guys... *gets depressed like Bepo*_


End file.
